Skillshare Help Center

In-Demand Topics

Looking for your next great class idea? This article highlights what Skillshare members are actively searching for, where we see opportunity and gaps in our catalog, and how you can use top-searched topics to help your content get discovered.

In this article:

How to Use This Data

Teachers frequently ask us: What kind of content are students looking for? This article is to help you answer that question, and to make sure your next class, 1-on-1 Session, or digital product aligns with your passions and student demand.

We’ve pulled together insights based on search trends and engagement data across Skillshare, highlighting:

  • Topics members are actively searching for.
  • Areas of the catalog with high opportunity, e.g., where we see growing interest but we have less content to meet demand.
  • Common search topics (keywords) to help optimize your content for discovery in search.

There are a few ways you can put this data into action:

  1. Find your next class topic. Start with what excites you, then use this list to narrow in on high-interest areas or under-served niches that match your expertise. Refer to Choose Your Class Topic for our tried-and-true process for narrowing in on your topic.
  2. Leverage for discovery. Already have a topic in mind? Use the topics as keywords here to inform your class title and description, so it’s easier for students to find.
  3. Expand your offerings. If you’re planning a 1-on-1 Session or digital product, these topics can help you identify what members might need support with or tools for

Check back often! We update this page quarterly to reflect what members are searching for most.

What’s In Demand Right Now

These topics are trending based on search interest and class engagement. If you already offer classes, 1-on-1s or digital products in one of these categories, consider building on your existing content. If you’re exploring new ideas, use this information to spark inspiration.

  • Our top 10 searched topics on Skillshare are: Procreate, Blender, Watercolor, drawing, illustration, graphic design, After Effects, photography, Canva, and Figma.
  • Overall, we see the most consistent demand and continued opportunity for classes in the following categories: Art & Illustration, Design, Creative Career, Film & Video, Photography, Animation & 3D, and AI & Innovation. Want more details on topics by category? We got you. 
While other categories see less overall traffic and are promoted at a smaller scale, they still serve engaged, passionate audiences. If you're teaching in one of these areas, we encourage you to keep publishing! Even if your topic is more niche, there’s real value in building strong connections with your students and offering classes that serve their specific interests.

High Opportunity Areas

These are topics where student demand is growing, and we're actively seeking new content. If you have expertise in any of these areas, there’s a great opportunity to create something unique.

Classes focused on AI for Creatives

Aligned with our AI Principles, we know Skillshare can be a meaningful destination for creators and creative people to learn and explore how to use AI effectively and ethically. We are actively promoting AI classes and meeting growing demand here as searches for AI-related content continue to rise in the ranks.

We’re interested in classes that showcase:

  • how you’re using different tools (e.g. Midjourney, ChatGPT)
  • …for different applications (e.g. image generation, workflow simplification)
  • …across a multitude of categories (e.g. Design, Film & Video, Art & Illustration).

While this is not an exhaustive list and we’re interested in all the ways you’re exploring this topic, here are some examples of areas we see based on popular tooling and where we’re already seeing search demand on Skillshare:

  • Canva’s AI tools, including Magic Studio and Canva AI
  • Notion AI, such as the Chat Assistant, One-click Skills, and Research Mode
  • AI tools for video production, like Descript, CapCut, and Runway
  • Adobe Firefly and other generative AI features in Adobe products

Some possible class ideas to help you get started:

  • Design Smarter with Canva AI: Templates, Text, and Time-Saving Tricks: A walkthrough of how you’re using Magic Studio tools to generate designs and speed up social media workflows.
  • Notion AI for Creatives: Organize Your Ideas: Share how you use Notion’s AI to brainstorm, summarize research, or plan creative projects more efficiently.
  • Edit Like a Pro: Simplify Video Production with Descript and AI Tools: Show how AI can help with transcription, voiceovers, and edits. This would be a great class for YouTubers as well as course creators!
Keep in mind: you don’t need to be an AI expert to teach in this area. AI is ever-evolving and we’re all explorers here! If you’re using AI to streamline your creative process or grow your business, there’s likely an audience eager to learn from your experience, even in a short class. Just be sure to go beyond the hype: members are looking for practical, thoughtful guidance they can apply to their own work.

Challenge Classes

We often hear from students that they have limited time in a day to dedicate to Skillshare and love when they can take a class in digestible ‘chunks’. In that vein, challenge classes — classes that guide students through a sequence of small, achievable projects over a defined time period — continue to perform well on Skillshare. These classes boost student engagement and project uploads, which are strong indicators of long-term retention and creative growth.

We encourage teachers to keep experimenting with this format as a way to help students build consistent habits and see progress over time. Think of it as a learning opportunity + community motivator, all in one!

While Art & Illustration topics, especially watercolor and drawing, tend to be a natural fit for this format, teachers have also seen success with journaling or creative prompt classes. Any class idea that offers a series of quick, shareable projects could make a great challenge class.

Ready to launch your own challenge class?

Top Search Topics By Category

Last updated: July 2, 2025

This data represents the top search terms in English on Skillshare by our member community for the period January 1 to March 31, 2025, with areas of opportunity where applicable.

 

Art & Illustration

Procreate, watercolor, drawing, illustration, Adobe Illustrator, gouache, character design, painting, digital art, sketching, lettering.

 

Design

Graphic design, Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Affinity Designer, logo design, Adobe Indesign, logo, web design.

 

Creative Career

Branding, Etsy, Instagram, LinkedIn, newsletter, Patreon, Pinterest, podcasting, Reels, Shopify, Shorts, social media, Substack, TikTok.

Tip: Regardless of your topic, think about how you’ve leveraged these tools to grow your own business. Many students are looking to grow their own and want to figure out how to use these tools to do so!

 

Film & Video

Adobe After Effects, film, YouTube, DaVinci Resolve, video editing, CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, motion graphics, VFX, Final Cut Pro.

Tip: Consider how your short-form classes (e.g. quick tips or highlight reels) can serve as an entry point to your deeper, long-form content.

 

Photography

Food photography, iPhone photography, Lightroom, photo editing, portraits, product photography.

 

Animation & 3D

Blender, animation, Unreal Engine, Cinema 4d, ZBrush, Procreate Dreams, Unity, Maya, 2D animation, Sketchup.

 

AI & Innovation

Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Midjourney, Runway, Capcut, Notion, Canva AI.

We're actively sourcing new classes on AI for creatives — see High Opportunity Areas for more info.

 

Crafts & DIY

Crochet, embroidery, fashion, fashion design, knitting, sewing, woodworking.

Tip: Consider how you can encourage your students to stick with their practice via building daily habits and baking practice time into their routine.

 

Creativity & Inspiration

Portfolio, portfolio development, journaling.

 

Music & Audio

Ableton, FL Studio, guitar, music production, music theory, piano, singing.

 

Productivity

Notion, Airtable, bullet journal, journaling, Notion, Obsidian, project management, time management.

 

Writing & Publishing

Blogging, content writing, copywriting, creative writing, storytelling.

 

Marketing & Business

Branding, digital marketing, Google ads, Instagram marketing, Microsoft Excel, SEO, social media marketing.

 

Development

C, coding, Elementor, Framer, Javascript, Python, web development, Wordpress.

 

Home & Lifestyle

Baking, cooking, dance, interior design, mindfulness, organization, yoga.

 

Personal Development

Journaling, meditation.

 

Keep in mind some topics are off-limits for Skillshare — review our Skillshare Content Guidelines for the full list. Content that focuses or touches on prohibited topics or formats may be removed by our Moderation team.



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